Martin Oberman seemed amused that anyone would bother asking about his daily three-mile bicycle commute between Lincoln Park and the Loop. Probably because the former 43rd Ward alderman never thinks of himself as a transportation pioneer, though he’s made his round-trip ride most work days since 1972.
Through ugly August heat and brutal January cold, he’ll pump along his preferred Wells Street route to south Michigan Avenue. It takes a few inches of slush or at least a 40-m.p.h. wind to make him leave his trusty 12-year-old Trek 730 home; otherwise he’s plowing south through Old Town.
“I ride that way, unless there’s a better than 50 percent chance of rain. Even so, I manage to get thoroughly soaked at least twice a year when I don’t follow my own rule and chance the weather,” he said. He started riding to save time and money.
Oberman is one of a number of hearty Chicago area bike commuters riding to the office or train station year-round.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation estimates that more than 15,000 Chicago and suburban Cook County commuters take bikes to work, yet nobody knows for certain how many ride through the winter. Their motivations, though, are many, including concern for the environment, a desire for exercise and impatience with traffic gridlock.
And then there’s the financial incentive.
Bike commuting can save Chicagoans around $70 a month–the dough they’d normally spend on CTA rides. Suburban riders realize a similar benefit by biking to the train instead of using a second car (and paying for parking). Oberman acknowledged savings and effective time management as reasons for two-wheeling to his Michigan Avenue law office.
“This afternoon I need a haircut,” he said, offering an example. “If I take a cab from my office up to North Michigan Avenue, we’ll sit in traffic, and I’ll spend $8 each way. If I ride, I’m there in 10 minutes and keep the money in my wallet.”
Andrew Berman, a Data Communications engineer, said exercise is a consideration, though not the main reason he rides a Myoto 10-speed two miles every day from his Oak Park home near Roosevelt and Clinton to the CTA Green Line station at Harlem Avenue.
“Bike commuting keeps us a one-car family,” said Berman, who favors side streets for his north-south trek instead of wrestling with heavy traffic on Harlem. “I’m not paying for parking, gas, maintenance and insurance on a second car.”
(Runzheimer International, the Rochester, Wis., vehicle cost and management consulting firm, estimates it can cost around $8,808 per year to own and operate a car in the Chicago area.)
Not even Berman’s clothing budget is taking a hit.
“I don’t wear a suit and tie to work,” Berman said, “and slush isn’t such a serious problem. A [bicycle] clip on my pants avoids the worst of it. Even when there’s snow on the ground, the streets I take are usually pretty dry.”
Berman said he’s also not bugged by temperature extremes.
“Cold doesn’t bother me. Heat doesn’t bother me.” But, he admitted, “Ice is tough.”
Another rider has a solution for wintry conditions.
Dave Peterson, an electrical engineer with Fermilab in Batavia, rides daily along the Fox River Trail and Illinois Prairie Path from his home in Geneva, a distance of seven miles each way.
Peterson invented a bike snowplow he drags behind his daughter’s old Pacific mountain bike to clear light snow from his route and open a narrow path for bikers and walkers. (He rides a Trek 1220 in nicer weather.)
“It only snows three or four times to the point where I need to use the plow,” he explained. “But you have to get out there right away and plow at least an 8- or 10-inch pathway before the walkers pack the snow down tight. That’s critical.
“I started riding year-round in fall of 2001. We consume so much of the world’s resources. I thought, here’s a simple thing I can do–and it’s good exercise.”
Kara Tiemann pedals her $20 garage sale Giant Iguana east from Oak Park along Roosevelt Road to an office in Chicago near Roosevelt and Western Avenue. She thinks the clothing problem is best solved by “accessorizing” for all types of weather and finds cold helps her make clothing decisions. “It’s easier in winter,” she explained, “because you regulate how much you sweat. You add or take off layers.
“I started this commute about three years ago, just to feel it out. Now I’d say I’m riding to work 70 percent of the time. I go five miles each way and in rush hour my time is about the same as driving.”
She started riding to get exercise and save time, taking Roosevelt Road between Oak Park and Western Avenue.
Dan Smith, like Berman, enjoys saving the money for maintaining and driving a second car to the Metra Union Pacific West Line. (Monthly parking runs $30.) Smith, a mechanical engineer, rides 1.3 miles to the Glen Ellyn Metra station on what he calls an “old school mountain bike,” a Diamondback picked up for $25 at an auction. When he arrives downtown at the Ogilvie Transportation Center, he snaps up his second bike, a 1983 Raleigh beater kept locked in a rack there.
“I get over to Halsted. My office is at Halsted and Division. Rain and snow aren’t that terrible on my clothes. I use bikes with fenders, and I’m wearing jeans or Dockers, and I always have a rain slicker with me.
“I spend nothing on my bikes,” he added. “I know some guys take an expensive bike and throw spray paint and duct tape on the frame to make it look like a beater to discourage thieves. The key is no flash. Nothing too good-looking. I always say my bike lock cost more than the bike.”
Greg Choyke, Trainer for a Day facilitator with Shedd Aquarium, figures he saves $128 a month keeping an old Schwinn 10-speed in his father’s Pittsfield Building dental office. Choyke takes the train from Elmhurst with his dad. They stroll across the Loop to 55 E. Washington St., where he grabs the Schwinn and fires through Grant Park to the lakefront. “The ride is about a mile and takes 12 minutes, and I feel good about not adding to traffic, and the Lake Shore Drive bike path is awesome. It’s a great commute.
“Bicycling is faster than taking public transportation, and it’s just great exercise. There are tons of people at work who ride every day. There’s a designated bike area for us to lock our bikes. We’re fortunate [at Shedd Aquarium]. They promote bike commuting here. We have a locker room and facilities to take a shower and change our clothes.”
The difference between summer and winter riding can be as simple as that between night and day–from tooling around the Loop on a summer day when you’re visible to plying traffic in dim morning sprints in October or twilight rides home.
Oberman remembers one close shave.
“Riding south on Wells in the late 1970s. I was still alderman. A guy in a plumbing van flew by doing about 40 or 50 miles per hour–and came close enough to brush the navy blue suit I was wearing. His van brushed my shoulder. I started racing after him–and the traffic lights were such that he slowed down and I was able to catch him at a gas station on Ontario. I took down his license and contacted the police, and he was ticketed. I received a call from his attorney. He said, `I assume you’re not going to court on this one.’ And I told him he assumed wrong. I did go to court.”
He was atop the Raleigh three-speed he rode for 20 years until the frame fractured.
“Raleigh replaced the frame for free,” he said. “I didn’t know they were guaranteed for life. Then about 10 or 12 years ago, I started noticing young people passing me. Especially smaller, weaker women. They were riding the newer, lighter bikes and I still had my Raleigh. I went out and tried the Trek 730 and was sold. But now it’s time for a replacement. I had the gears replaced once, but they’re going again.”
He says he hasn’t settled on a replacement. “Probably another Trek, but I’ll upgrade a bit.”
No beater?
“No, no. But every so often I do think about wearing a rain outfit I have for golf. I think it might work for my commute.”
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Warmth, not style, most important on wintry trips
The recent trend to more casual work attire is a benefit to year-round bicycle commuters. In fact, those interviewed for this feature saw absolutely no reason to drop serious coin on bike togs, because they generally are not getting spiffed up every day for the office.
“I only wear a suit on days I’m in court,” said Martin Oberman, an attorney, “and even then I ride. I don’t race downtown. If I do perspire, I’d rather be surrounded by my own perspiration than that of everyone else on the `L.’
“In cold weather I layer up with a turtleneck or fleece. I haven’t worn my parka. It’s too bulky.”
Greg Choyke, Trainer for a Day facilitator with Shedd Aquarium, occasionally wears synthetic rain pants. His tip is more related to managing temperature and how much (or little) you sweat: “It’s a good idea to dress [as if it’s] 15 degrees warmer than the forecasted temperature CLOTHING THAT ALLOWS BREATHING is great. . . . It’s basically the same way to dress as someone who’s running.”
Kara Tiemann, who rides to an office near Roosevelt Road and Western Avenue, added: “Make sure all skin is covered [in extreme cold]. It seems like a no-brainer. The small amount of skin around the neck, wrists and ankles gets very cold when measures are not taken to clamp down scarves, gloves and socks around these areas. I pull my sock over the pants or use REFLECTIVE VELCRO FASTENERS. In cold wet weather, I make sure not to wear cotton–especially socks. And to have a waterproof jacket and pants.
I have a couple sets of insulated pants that look professional enough to wear around the office in winter,” said Dan Smith, who rides to a Metra station before taking the train in to his job. “A good pair of GLOVES keeps fingers warm and get a SKULLCAP stocking cap that’ll fit under your bike helmet. A scarf or face mask keeps the face warm. If the wind chill dips dangerously, a set of ski goggles helps keep eyes from freezing. For all seasons, I always keep PLASTIC GROCERY BAG from Jewel or Dominick’s tucked under my seat in case of rain. If I know ahead of time it’ll rain, I put the bag on the seat and tie it in place with the handles. If I forget and my seat is wet, I simply put the bag on the seat for a dry place to sit.”
So dress in layers, stay dry and have fun.
“It’s all worth it for the great workout,” added Choyke.
— Jim Mueller
